However, Kim Sung-chul at the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Wednesday downplayed hopes of talks, saying there is no sign that Pyongyang is departing from its previous position.

"That they are interested in the six party talks…. And they haven't indicated any specific dates for the resumption, or anything like that," said Kim Sung-chul.

And North Korea itself indicated that talks might not come soon. On Wednesday, an official North Korean news broadcast said that Pyongyang's return to the talks depended on the U.S. response to "our demand of creating conditions and an environment for the resumption of the talks."